Conflict in Virtual Communication

Conflict is an "expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce resources and interference from the other parties in achieving their goals." We'll look at each of the components in this definition.

Kandath, Krishna, John Oetzel, Everett Rogers and Ann Mayer-Guell. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Communication>Online

Confronting Illiteracy with Scientific Communication

Explains how workplace principles of effective scientific communication also have an important role in literacy outreach programs for schools.

Girill, T.R. STC East Bay (2003). Articles>Education>Scientific Communication

Congratulations, You Have ADD!  

The author describes his history after being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), including a brief discussion of what the disorder is, how he came to be diagnosed as having it, and how he has come to live in harmony with, and even embrace, ADD. Murray concludes by offering helpful hints for accommodating the disorder that have helped him lead a fulfilling and successful career in technical communications.

Murray, Mike. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Scientific Communication>Biomedical

A Consideration of the Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident as Apologia

The Rogers report seems to be more than just a report to explain the Challenger accident and give suggestions to avoid a similar tragedy occurring in the future. In a sense, it appears to be a type of apologia. On January 28, 1986 the Space Shuttle Challenger, mission 51-L, launched from Florida's Kennedy Air force Base at 11:38 a.m. Eastern Stand ard Time. As the country watched in disbelief, the shuttle disintegrated 73 seconds later in an explosion of hydrogen and oxygen. All seven crew members died. On February 3, President Reagan issued an executive order to set up a commission to investigate the challenger accident. The commission was sworn in on February 6, and presented its report to the president on June 6 of the same year. This report, commonly known as the Rogers Report, after its chairman William R. Roger, had a dual mandate from the president. First to look at the probable causes of the accident, and second, to develop recommendations for corrective action. This was done through a comprehensive investigation involving all of the following: interviews with more than 160 people, more than 35 formal panel investigations, examination of more than 6,300 documents (which included hundreds of photographs and more then 122,000 pages), the generation of almost 12,000 pages of transcript and another 2,800 pages of hearing transcripts.

Holombo, Chrystal. Michigan Tech University (1998). Articles>Technology>Risk Communication>Engineering

Considering Bias in Government Audit Reports: Factors That Influence the Judgments of Internal Government Auditors  

Government auditors collect data and assess, via written reports, the operations of a government; however, little is known about what can affect and govern their representations of those operations. This analysis examines research studies about author bias and government audit manuals in order to understand how government auditors' neutrality is threatened. While bias may be an overt function of preferential or prejudicial thoughts, most sources of bias that influence auditors derive from less explicit sources including prior expectations, media coverage, nondiagnostic information, and other significantly less direct channels. To determine how government guidelines address this issue for their auditors, the principle audit manuals for Canada and the United States were reviewed for their references to bias, impartiality, and objectivity. Neither manual provides a significant amount of guidance to assist auditors in addressing the problems of bias in data collection, interpretation, and representation. If bias is to be reduced in audit reports, more must be done.

Palmer, Laura A. JBC (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Government>Reports

Constructing Public Support: EU Communication Challenges for the Process of Integration  

This study aims at providing a new perspective on the question of public spheres and the European Union. Previous studies on public sphere and the European Union dealt with general trends and patterns of news reporting in Europe, the national prospective of mass media reporting, or with mass media as vehicle of political participation and as a form of media culture, but few have tried to understand what journalists think about EU information and how media relations could be strengthen in order to increase public discourses. This study is based on findings of a current research project about EU communication strategies in Finland and in Italy. Specifically the statistical data gather in these two member states shows the necessity to improve media relations between EU institutions and their press offices and national mass media. In this paper I will discuss about the role of mass media in enhancing public debate on EU, the different types of public spheres for the European Union and their implications and EU’s necessity to strength public debate and citizens’ participation to its decision-making.

Valentini, Chiara. Chiara Valentini Communication Management (2006). Articles>Communication>International>Europe

Content Delivery in the "Blogosphere"

While a few educators have already started using blogs in the classroom, more have focused on the potential of blogging in teaching and learning.

Ferdig, Richard E. and Kaye D. Trammell. T.H.E. Journal (2004). Articles>Web Design>Communication>Blogging

Content Hypertext Spam

Hiding a commercial ad in editorial text is the latest form of internet garbage. Content Hypertext Spam refers to a link within an article that users assume will lead to relevant content, further information on the topic. Wrong. It deceptively leads to an irrelevant site that tries to sell something. Discover the 14 reasons why this new gimmick is damaging to users and webmasters alike.

Streight, Steven. Blogger.com (2004). Articles>Business Communication>Web Design>Spam

Context-Driven: How is Traditional Chinese Medicine Labeling Developed?    

To promote intercultural understanding in medical communication, this article studies a regulation issued by the Chinese government to standardize traditional Chinese medicine labeling. Then the author claims that the traditional Chinese medicine labeling is medicine-focused. This feature has its roots in traditional Chinese philosophy of stressing the context while de-emphasizing individuals. The author examines a particular medicine label to support his claim that the medicine-focused feature draws patients' attention to the situations that cause disorders.

Ding, Daniel D. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2004). Articles>Scientific Communication>Biomedical>Regulation

Contracting and Consulting for Policies and Procedures Engagements  

As the number of persons employed by some U.S. organizations declined since the late 1980s, so have employment opportunities for Policies & Procedures (P&P) practitioners. During this period, the number of contractors and consultants has increased to meet the needs of newly changed organizations. A useful way for P&P practitioners to learn how they can provide contracting and consulting services is to understand three roles in leveraging such services: an extra pair of hands, expert, and collaborator.

Urgo, Raymond E. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Business Communication>Policies and Procedures>Technical Writing

Converting Science News for the Web

With the Internet emerging as a primary newsgathering source, many traditional media outlets have converted their products for online viewing. This paper explores how two science news magazines, New Scientist and Science News, have approached this challenge. Elements of hyptertext theory are also included.

Carsten, Laura D. EServer (2001). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Scientific Communication

Corporate Blogging and the Technical Writer  

Corporate blogging is rapidly becoming another way for companies to communicate with their customers and increase internal communication. Learn about the advantages and future of blogging and how to get started.

Johnson, Tom H. Intercom (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Writing>Blogging

Corporate Culture as a Source of Crisis in Companies

Corporate culture involves certain values and rules of behaviour within and outside the company, which are shared by the company employees. The cause and effect relationship between the company crisis and corporate culture is reciprocal. If the corporate culture is not strong enough when a crisis occurs, its value system can break down or the crisis can unveil inconsistencies between its stated values and relations and its actual ones. On the other hand, the corporate culture can directly launch a crisis causal chain, which means that the original cause of the crisis initiates other imbalances, or deepens the imbalances occurring in another department, speeding up the development of the crisis and making it more difficult or even impossible to pull the company out.

Zuzak, Roman. Communication World Bulletin (2004). Articles>Business Communication>Workplace

Corporate Risk Reporting: A Content Analysis of Narrative Risk Disclosures in Prospectuses    

This study examines whether companies report risk-relevant information to prospective investors. While corporate risk communication is important for the well-functioning of capital markets, our current understanding of risk reporting practices is limited. The sample consists of Dutch companies raising capital on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange in the late 1990s. In this setting, companies had much discretion in writing the risk section of the prospectus. After a detailed content analysis of the risk sections, the author demonstrates that a measure of risk extracted from these texts successfully predicts the volatility of companies' future stock prices, the sensitivity of future stock prices to market-wide fluctuations, as well as severe declines in future stock prices. Overall, these results support the view that prospectuses of Dutch companies provide adequate information about material investment risks.

Deumes, Rogier. JBC (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Financial>Risk Communication

Corporate Social Responsibility and Globalization: A Reassessment

Social responsibility, in one form or another, has been on the minds of businesses for over 100 years. By running a business that the community, local and global, can be proud of, corporations are able to create a climate of compassion that could likely translate into consumer support. Some have argued that adopting CSR standards allows companies to build brand value by imbuing their brands with ideas, emotions and beliefs that appeal to consumers. The cost of building brand value with social responsibility initiatives is usually cheaper than trying to achieve the same effect through advertising and public relations.

Frost, Randall. Communication World Bulletin (2004). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations>International

Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting in South Africa: A Descriptive and Comparative Analysis    

In this article, the authors compare the corporate social responsibility reporting (CSRR) of companies" environment, human relations, community, human rights, and diversity dimensions"in the emerging market economy of South Africa with that of companies in the leading economies represented by the Fortune Global 100. The descriptive analysis extends earlier empirical work on the CSRR of emerging market economies, and the impact of culture on CSRR, by examining annual report data from the top 100 companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Index and the Fortune Global 100. Generally, the frequency and level of CSRR in South African companies was significantly higher than that of the Fortune Global 100, which indicates a greater willingness to convey social responsibility in their disclosure practices. This lends credence to the notion that emerging market economies may be more receptive to stakeholder concerns and social responsibility than peer institutions in leading economies.

Dawkins, Cedric and Faith Wambura Ngunjiri. JBC (2008). Articles>Business Communication>Marketing>Africa

Corporate Social Responsibility Requires Strong Collaboration Between HR and Internal Communicators

There are ongoing debates about the reporting and working relationship between HR and internal communication, but one thing is certain: When it comes to systemic change, the kind required for effective corporate social responsibility (CSR) implementation, the two must work together in an inextricably-linked collaboration.

Mees, Adine. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Workplace>Public Relations

Corporate Social Responsibility: Communicators Wanted

Communication practitioners understand how to use a range of tools—formal, informal, traditional and online—and two-way symmetrical communication. They need to know that, through the energetic use of these skills, they can advance the economic, social and environmental well-being of society.

Berardocco, Diana. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Business Communication>Management

Corporatespeak: Deconstructing the New Language of Business

Business has a language all its own that changes almost daily. It is a language that is limiting, that denies possibility, and that excludes creative thinking. It is also the language with which industry players must grapple in their struggle to make money from new technology.

Leiper, Jeff. Writer's Block (2002). Articles>Business Communication>Rhetoric

Course Design and Content Organization: A Psychological Perspective

While a lot of effort is spent on designing an effective structure of the course, individual memory is seemingly the more untouched and somehow neglected aspect of our efforts to develop effective learning solutions. There is a need to add a psychological perspective of memory and retention/recollection to the way we design learning solutions.

Singh, Atul. KeyContent.org (2006). Articles>Communication>Technical Writing

Review: The Craft of Scientific Presentations: Critical Steps to Succeed and Critical Errors to Avoid  

As the word craft in the title of the book suggests, the ability to give good presentations is not a genetically linked trait but a craft that can be learned.

Armbruster, David L. Technical Communication Online (2004). Articles>Reviews>Presentations>Scientific Communication

Crafting a Crisis Communication Plan

In the wake of the tragic Virginia Tech shootings, it is time to ask a few serious and potentially life-saving questions about crisis communication and the plans that either exist, or don't exist, where we work.

Braud, Gerard. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Risk Communication>Crisis Communication

Creating a Culture of Accountability

Most of those who write about corporate social responsibility focus first and foremost on external stakeholders—responsibility-focused investors, workers in the supply chain, local communities, the press, governments or NGOs—and understandably so. These groups can undermine corporate reputations by publicizing perceived instances of social irresponsibility. Reputations may be intangible, but damage to them can cost real dollars.

Mike, Barry and Jeff Grimshaw. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Public Relations>Workplace